Control device



May 28, 1935. J. E. RENHOLDT CONTROL DEVICE Filed Nov. 5, 1931 IllINVENTOR BY J bhrz', Renfioidi ATTORNEYS Patented May 28 1935 John a.Renhoidt, Bridgeport, com, assignor to Dictaphone Corporation, New York,N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 5, 1931, SerialNo. 573,133

2 Claims.

This invention relates to control means, and

with regard to certain more specific features to foot-operated controlmeans for phonographs or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a footoperated control devicethe operation of which is not inherently tiringto the operator's foot.Another object is to provide a device of the nature described which maybe operated by the toe portion of an operators fo'ot while said toe- 1portion is raised only slightly above the fioor. Another object is toprovide a device which is duplex and in which both controls are operablewith one motion of the operator's foot and which may also be operatedselectively by the operators foot. Another object of the invention isthe provision of a control device-of the nature decertain parts tend toassume their inoperative position by the force of gravity. Anotherobject is to provide a foot-operated control means in which-certainimprovementshave been effected to eliminate leaks and the like.

the various conduits associated with the deviceare affixed to the devicein an improved manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control device of thenature described which is 7 strong and adapted to withstand abn sure ofan operator's foot.

ormal pres- A further object of the invention is to provide afact-operated control device which is easily as-' sembled and easilydisassembled for repair, which is simple to manufacture, and whichcomprises a compact structure of neat appearance.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements,

and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the foliowingclaims.

bodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a foot-operated control device embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the control device of Fig.1 and showing apedal portion ing position;

in operat- (Cl. Gil-62.6)

tain other parts in section.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown afoot-operated control device comprising a base I on which are mountedduplicate air-compressing units or control means 3 and! respectively. Aduplex flexible conduit 1 is'connected to the compressing means 3 and 5.and is adapted to connect the control device to a machine to becontrolled. Such a device utilizes compressed fluid (for example air) tocontrol the mechanism of machines, such as transcribing machines,accounting machines and the like, which machines have means associatedwith them which are responsive to the air pres- However,

the control devices which have been provided heretofore for theoperators of transcribing machines and the like, have been soconstructed that in use the toe of the operator's foot was raisedconsiderably above the floor, and. held in an unnatural and tiringposition. Long continuous operation was, therefore, tiring to theoperatorbecause of the cramping of muscles due to this unnaturalposition.

. The present invention overcomes the aforementioned previousdisadvantages of the footoperated control means and provides a controlmeans which is operated with an operator's foot in a substantiallynatural position.

Referring now to Fig. 3, each compressor 3 and 5 comprises an invertedcup-shaped housing 9 in which a piston II is slidably mounted forreciprocation. Each housing 9 is securely mounted on the base I by meansof counter-sunk machine screws 8. The piston I I is ground, or otherwisefinished, to provide a substantially air-tight fit between the pistonand housing, when the surfaces are properly lubricated. Thus as thepiston II is moved toward the closed top of the housing 9 it compressesthe trapped air between the top of the housing and the top of thepiston. A spring I3-is seated in a depression I5 formed in the pistonand reacts against the top of the housing 9 to tend to keep the piston II at the bottom of the housing. It is to be noted that the piston IIalso tends to assume a position at the bottom of the hous of gravity.

ing 9 by the action The housing 9 is preferably cast as an integralpiece and comprises a clevis I9 adjacent an opening or slot 20 formed inthe wall of the housing for a purpose to be described hereinafter. Withthis construction the piston II traps air at the top of the housing 9and thereis no means for its escape except through a duct 35, providedfor that purpose near the top of the housing.

. As compression takes place above piston no gasket is needed betweenthe housing 9 and the base.

A slightly bent lever 11 is provided for each compressor 3 and 5 tooperate the associated piston II. Lever I'I having an end extendingthrough the opening 20 is pivoted substantially midway between its endsby a pin 2| between the sides of the above-mentioned clevis I9. A pedalor toe-piece 23 is formed at the outer end of lever I1 and a contact orrocker portion 25 is formed at the inner end thereof which rockerportion is adapted ,to engage the under side of said piston.

As shown in Fig. 3, the lever I1 and piston I I are in their"un-operated position and the piston II by action of gravity and thespring I3 has pushed the end 25 of the lever II downwardly until itsflat bottom surface 21 is in contact withthe base I and the pedal 23 isin its raised position. In Fig. 2 the same lever I1 is shown in itsoperated position in which position the pedal portion 23 is held down bythe operators foot and approximately of the lever I'I, comprising thelower surface29 thereof is resting on the base I. In this way anyfurther pressure of the operator's foot is borne by the base rather thanby the piston II. Thus any tendency to bend or warp the piston I I, byexcessive pressure, is avoided. I

In this latter position the piston II is forced to the top of thehousing 9 by the raising of the rocker point 25, and the air trappedbetween, the piston II and housing 9 is compressed.-

Each lever I1 is so positioned that its pedal portion 23 when inan"unoperated position is only slightly above the base I, and when inoperated position is substantially in the plane of the base. In thepresent embodiment, for example, the pedal 23 in unoperated position isonly about three-quarters of an-inoh above the base I. At this elevationthe ankle of the operator is practically unflexed. Further, the twopedals 23 of the levers II are so positioned with respect to each otherthat the operator's foot, when disposed between the two pedals, mayoperate them both with the same downward motion or, if it is desired tooperate' them selectively, the operator may swing her foot to the rightor to the left to a position above one of the pedals and clear of theother thereof. This selective positioning of the operator's foot mayeasily be carried out by simply swinging the foot about the heel placedon the floor. Contact between the sides of the operators foot and thehousing 9,

helps to correctly position the foot although such a contact is notnecessary.

Thus in operation the duplex foot-operated control device is placed onthe floor and the toe portion of the operators foot placed in theimmediate vicinity above the pedal portions 23 of the levers IT. Theoperator may as hereinbefore pointed out operate either pedal or both,or may keep her foot in a slightly raised position above the pedalswithout assuming an unnatural position. When, however, she does operateone or both of the pedals her foot 'is substantially flat on the floor.

A metal conduit 3| taps each housing 9 and transmits the pressurecreated by the compress ing action of the piston II on the trapped airto the flexible tubing I. As is clearly shown in Fig. 4 each conduit 3|is secured to the housin 9 by means of a pressure coupling 33 threadedinto the housing. The duct or hole 35 in each housing connects theinterior of the housing with the coupling 33.

The flexible duplex conduit I is connected to the metal conduits 3| asis shown at numeral 31. The conduit I is a duplex arrangement having twoseparate passages therethrough and is formed from rubber or the like.Resilient wire helices 39 are positioned in the passages of the portionof the flexible conduit 1 which is immediately adjacent the base I, andas shown in Fig. 4 one end of each helix extends into one of the metalco'nduits 3| to which the tubing I is joined. A clamp 4| secures theconduits 3| and I .jointly to the base I and enhances the strength ofthe joint 31.

The resilient helices 39 not only reenforce the conduit I but also tendto prevent kinking of the conduit or tubing 1 which kinking would closethe passages and hence render the control device inoperable.

The end of the tubing I which is away from the base I terminates in twotubes 63 which are of known construction .and need no furtherexplanation except to say' that they are preferably attached to separatepressure responsive means on the machines controlled.

A corrugated rubber pad 2 is suitably mounted on the underside of thebase I and serves to pro vide friction between the control device andthe floor so that as the operator uses the control device it will notinadvertently slide around and change its position.

One of the advantages of the invention is that a foot-operated controldevice has been provided which may be operated without tiring theoperators foot.

Another advantage is the flexibility of control which may be securedwith the duplex arrangement. Thus in the event that simultaneousactuation of both of the pressure responsive means on the machine beingcontrolled is desired, the arrangement of the pedals is such that theymay be operated simultaneously with one foot.

Another advantage of the invention is the fact that the capacity of thecompressing units may be increased by increasing the depth of thehousings 9, and without making it necessary for the operators foot toassume an unnatural position. With the former type of like foot-operatedcontrol means, in which the operation of the piston was efiected bydirect downward movement of the operators foot, which was placed abovethe piston, the height to which the compressing unit could be raised toincrease the capacity of the unit was limited by the extent to which theoperators foot could operably be raised above a natural position. In thepresent construction in which the operation of the piston is effected bymeans of a lever, and in which the toepiece of the lever is considerablybelow the top of the housing, the toe piece of the lever may be raisedconsiderably above the piston shown in Fig. 3 to increase the capacitywithout causing the operators foot to assume an unnatural position.

Another advantage of the invention is that a control device has beenprovided which has improved points of construction such as reenforcingand kink-preventing means in the flexible having contact with saidpiston at its inner i I 8,009,798 conduit, and which also has'improvedconstruc-" tion to prevent leaking of the compressed air.

As various embodiments might be made of this invention, and as variouschanges might be made in the construction herein described, all withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood thatall matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is tobe interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. I

I claim;

l. A compressor unit for pneumatic foot control devices, comprisi'i'ig,inmombination, a-memher having a cylindrical bore of large diameterrelatively to the length thereof and open at one end and closed at theother, a piston in said bore,

a lug formed on and extending outwardhr from wall being slotted radiallywith respect to the,

axis of said cylinder, a radially mounted lever end disposed in saidslot and pivotally supported by the bifurcated parts of said lug, andmeans tending to hold the .pistonin contact with said lever.

2. A compressor'unit for pneumatic foot control devices comprising, incombination, a member having a vertical cylinder bore open at its lowerend and closed at its upper end and having a fluid duct disposedadjacent said upper end, a piston in said bore having a cavity formed inits upper surface, an helical spring mounted with one end seated in saidcavity and the other end in contact with the closed end of said member,a lug formed on and extending outwardly from the peripheral wall of saidmember adjacent the lower end thereof, the said wall having a slotformed therein adjacent said lug, and a piston-operating lever disposedin said slot, pivotally supported by said lug and having contact at itsinner end with the underside of said piston;

' JOHN a. mom.

